Archive for April 15th, 2009

Mandira Bedi has been roped in by MAX for the new season of DLF iplt20 to add some spice to the already hot proceedings. The small screen diva has returned to co-host ‘Extraaa Innings T20’ and is sure to have millions of pulses fluttering with her image makeover. At a show organised by MAX at Taj Lands End Hotel in Mumbai on Monday, Mandira Bedi was brought back in the fray for another ” Extraaa Innings ” at the show that she says gave her an opportunity to live her passion for cricket.

Mandira Bedi started six years ago with MAX and her involvement in the first edition of Indian Premier League created wholesome entertainment for millions of Indian households. She is rightly considered as the ‘First Lady’ of Indian cricket with millions tuning in daily to watch her insights on the game along with her fashion choices. Strapless blouses, Bright Sarees and that weren’t all as when she spoke about the game, she made sense too.

The second coming of Mandira to ‘Extraaa Innings T20’ is accompanied with a new wardrobe and fashion statement. She was seen strapless, but in a dress than a blouse. She looks more toned, fresh and debonair.

So she is back with a bang. The new season of DLF iplt20, which kicks off this Saturday, promises another chapter in the path breaking story of how IPL transformed Indian cricket and how Mandira Bedi turned it into a complete family experience. Let’s see how she manages to capture the hearts as well as eyeballs of cricket fans in India, once again…

With “Songs from the Movies” as the theme and Quentin Tarantino as a “music” mentor this week, viewers were sure the show promised a few surprises but none more than Kris Allen performing “Falling Slowly” from the ‘Once’ movie OST. The performance sans his guitar was one of his best. The emotions were perfect, the audience swooned and the judges didn’t get it, which usually adds up to a great performance. Randy feels it was pitchy and the song never “caught on” while Kara believes it was one of his “best moments” despite the obscure choice. Precisely. The song, despite being an academy-award winner for Best Original Song in 2007, was still obscure and unknown to American audiences.

The Song: “Falling Slowly”

"Falling Slowly" from movie OST "Once"

Kris Allen’s performance has brought this song into limelight once again. “Falling Slowly” is the 2007 Academy-Award winner for Best Original Song, by professional partners Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. It featured in the movie “Once” starring the couple. The song’s Oscar eligibility had caused a controversy as it had already featured in the couple’s performances in Europe in 2006 much before the movie was released. It even featured on ‘The Cost’ an album released in 2006 by Hansard’s band, The Frames. However the Academy ruled that as the song was composed for the movie and the public exposure of the song during the extended production of the movie had been minimal, so it was eligible. Hansard’s relationship with Irglova evolved during the making of “Once”. Said Hansard about Irglova: “”I had been falling in love with her for a long time, but I kept telling myself she’s just a kid”. Maybe when they wrote the song, Hansard was “Falling Slowly” for Irglova.

The relative obscurity of this Academy Award winning song should soon be gone thanks to Kris Allen and his performance this week. People are googling the lyrics of the song, itunes warming up to the downloads and more people know Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova today than maybe ever before. I can help out with lyrics, they’re below.

Lyrics: “Falling Slowly” from the “Once” movie OST

I don’t know you

But I want you

All the more for that

Words fall through me

And always fool me

And I can’t react

And games that never amount

To more than they’re meant

Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home

We’ve still got time

Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice

You’ll make it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me

And I can’t go back

Moods that take me and erase me

And I’m painted black

You have suffered enough

And warred with yourself

It’s time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home

We’ve still got time

Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice

You’ve made it now

Falling slowly sing your melody

I’ll sing along

What’s worth waiting for is if this “obscure song” could keep Kris Allen on American Idol for another week ’cause he is getting better with each week passing. Do you think Kris Allen got the song choice right? Leave us your comments below…